MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Mercosur top official blasts lack of political support and coordination

Europe, US and China contribute to the de-industrialization process of Mercosur said Pinheiro Guimaraes

Mercosur high representative Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes resigned because of “political reasons”, following the presentation of a report warning on the future of the regional block in the framework of the international crisis.

“The exercise of this post is only possible with the strong political support from the state members”, said Pinherio Guimaraes in a letter addressed to the Mercosur administrative seat in Montevideo.

“The reasons for my resignation are of political nature”, wrote the Brazilian diplomat who was appointed to the post, created in 2010, in January 2011 with the task of managing political articulation, formulation of proposals and representing the common positions of Mercosur.

In his last report to the Mercosur Council of Ministers which last Thursday met in Mendoza, Argentina, Pinheiro Guimaraes warned about the persistence of asymmetries in the block created in 1991 and the imperious need to better political coordination.

South American economic integration must be done through the “gradual expansion” of Mercosur and not through the recently created Union of South American Nations, Unasur.

“Unasur in spite of its political importance can not be the fundamental stone for the construction of the economic block in South America” said Pinheiro Guimaraes. The block must consolidate through the “gradual expansion” of Mercosur with the incorporation of Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname and Guyana.

He added that the international crisis scenario implies challenges but also opportunities. However for this “it is essential that the countries of the block, “increase in a significant way their political coordination and economic and social cooperation”.

Likewise presidential meetings should take place “at least every three months” and with “a confidential format”, the opposite of what happens at the current summits when usually speeches are live on national television.

The diplomat also warned that in a multi-polar world in crisis “the strengthening of Mercosur is not of the interest of any other State or block, or space despite the fact they openly express support and even admiration for Mercosur”.

In consequence there is a permanent effort, together with public opinion, in ignoring or minimizing integration efforts, in making public tensions and discrepancies that surface in Mercosur with “the purpose of defending an isolated insertion policy for each member of the group in the international system or in other blocks”.

“Policies from Europe, US and China strongly contribute to a process of de-industrialization of Mercosur economies”, which puts at risk the development of national economies and generates deep social consequences.

Pinheiro Guimaraes said that the transformation of Mercosur from a simple customs union, as originally conceived in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, to a scheme of regional, balanced and harmonious regional development of the four members implies the “elimination of asymmetries and the gradual construction of common legislation”.

This demands the “energetic acknowledgement of the asymmetries” with shared funds and adequate resources to implement projects, “conditions that will enable national development policies for each member state; accords in relevant industrial sectors such as the auto industry and advancing in the implementation of the citizenship statute, among other aspects”.

“If there is not a firm commitment from presidents, Mercosur could survive but always doubtful, and will not become a block of countries capable of defending and promoting, with success, its interests in the new world that will emerge from the current transformations and crises undergoing worldwide”.